Skip to main content
The Latest /
Immigrants’ Rights

"ALIPAC Withdraws From AZ Rallies Over Nazi Groups & Tancredo"

That is the title of Americans for Legal Immigration PAC's most recent email announcing that it is "withdrawing support for any rallies in Arizona in June to support SB 1070 due to the discovery of racist group involvement and the actions of former Congressman Tom Tancredo".

ALIPAC says they are dropping out because, as One People's Project established, the event is being organized by Dan Smeriglio of Voice of The People USA, who has been "working with skin heads and Nazis":

The video and screen shots of Dan Smeriglio's Facebook account indicates that he has willingly been working with members or racist skin head groups long after he knew their identities and politics. In fact, Dan's Facebook profile, which remains his main way of broadcasting a rally for June 5, promoted one of Europe's most popular neo-Nazi rock groups until a few days ago.

...

Unfortunately, our plans to get the skinheads out and away from the Phoenix effort was thwarted, when retired Congressman Tom Tancredo, who had self titled himself as the 'key note speaker' at the June 5 event started telling leaders and candidates to come back to the June 5 rally. Tancredo even claimed that ALIPAC's concerns about Dan Smeriglio were false, when he had not reviewed the video and screen shots which we find to be fairly conclusive.

Some fine folks in Arizona took action at the end of last week and assured us that Dan Smeriglio's involvement was being completely removed from the June 5 rally and that we would have no more difficulties from Tom Tancredo.

Unfortunately, we found out yesterday that Dan Smeriglio is still involved with the Facebook effort to support the June 5 event, even though the neo-Nazi rock group and friends and their comments have been sanitized from his Facebook pages. We also found out that Tom Tancredo is continuing to try and persuade leaders to abandon the June 12 event for the 5th event.

ALIPAC will not work with any group or event that is working with or supportive of neo-Nazis or anyone working with them. We do not feel comfortable asking our national network to travel into Arizona at great expense to attend an event that Tom Tancredo is attempting to undermine.